Wow.
After watching Obama’s half-hour spot on TV last night I thought to myself, “Who in their right mind would not vote for this man?” As a mere commercial it was impressive. As a piece of politicking it was absolutely astonishing.
Obama hit all the right notes from the very beginning: the waving fields of grain, the smiling children, the old veterans waving at the crowd. In these few powerful images Obama showed us America.
Then he set forth what he regards as the problems facing this country, interspersed with the stories of typical families beset by these problems. Between each story he clearly told us what he would do as president to address and resolve them.
Obama ended all this by reiterating his faith in the American people to surmount these challenges.
“In six days, we can choose to invest in health care for our families, and education for our kids, and renewable energy for our future. In six days, we can choose hope over fear, unity over division, the promise of change over the power of the status quo. In six days, we can come together as one nation, and one people, and once more choose our better history."
These are beautiful, powerful words. For me they say it all. From the other camp I hear nothing except why we should be fearful. I hear nothing about unity and hope for the future.
Yes, yes. I’ve heard all the objections about boilerplate phrases and packaging over substance. But let’s not lose sight of the fact that this was never presented as anything more than a political commercial. And it’s a damn good one at that! It wasn’t intended as a State of the Union address.
And for once a candidate did exactly what people claim they want to see in a political ad. He spoke clearly about the issues and what he intends to do to address them if elected to office.
Astonishingly, not once did I hear an attack on his rival. Which, when you think about it, was attack enough.
And unlike many who express open hostility toward Barack Obama I believe there is substance behind the image. It is the reality of a thoughtful, intelligent, deliberative yet decisive individual.
It is the reality of the person the American people need in the White House at this time.
Today on NPR I heard a reporter state that much of the success of the Obama campaign is due to the almost “friction-free” quality of his campaign organization. Despite the huge sums it has raised its spending has been incredibly efficient. I guess Obama’s experience as a community organizer stood him in good stead.
This is the kind of intelligent organizational experience I want to see in the White House. I couldn’t give a damn that he’s never been a mayor of some moose-butt burg, or the governor of a state with less people than most big suburbs.
That’s why I’m voting for Barack Obama on November 4th.
